The Fighter
by ContraBardus
Summary: An intentional basic fanfic, a new fighter comes to Nerima and tests his skills against the Ranma crew.


Ahem, I've been reading a lot of C&C lately for my fics; and it seems the thing I get the most praise for is not my ideas, but my technique. I appear to have nearly mastered the art of taking a familiar situation; i.e. a Self insertion, or a familiar story line, such as Ranma with a permanent curse, and adding a small twist and taking it in a different direction than everyone else would.   
Most of my stories are anything but ground breaking ideas. They are usually just small alterations on an idea that's been around for a while that come out strangely unique, thanks in no small part to my writing skills and my spell checker.  
I'm not exactly novelist material yet, but I'm getting there fast. [I'd like to think so anyway.] Hopefully within a year or so I should feel confident enough that I can break away from fanfiction and expand my ideas into books of my own, which will hopefully get published. I've got my goals in sight anyway, but still I feel I am not quite ready for that challenge yet.   
So I decided to start another fic, this one will be relatively short and stick to the formula I'm good at for the moment. It will run roughly four parts and run off the basic premise of Ranma getting a challenge from another martial artist. Yes, the challenger is American, and yes he is very good, and finally...yes his name is Dan. I like the name, it's my best friend's name and it's easy to type. It's formulated to be sure, but hopefully I'll be able to pull of the magic I've been accused of using again [apparently it's going to my head] and come out with something at least readable. We'll find out soon enough...  
On a last note, I've been accused of being a self-insertist author, to be perfectly honest, I haven't written more than two self-insertion fanfics. I tend to put original characters that don't act anything like me into stories; I enjoy it more that way. The only true self-insertions I've written are the Spirit Within series, and The Three Magic Knights. In the latter of the two I play a villain, well sort of.  
  
Now that the notes are over, here's my fic...  
  
The Fighter.  
  
A Ranma 1/2 fanfic.  
  
Part 1: The storm comes.  
  
Dan stood on the deck of the ship watching the waves hit the hull, as the seas grew rough. He was dressed in a white cotton muscle shirt and loose blue jeans that were slightly to long for him covering the cheap tennis shoes that he wore. Slung over his shoulder almost, as an after thought was a small white bundle kept together by a simple black belt. On his forehead was a golden headband that flapped lazily in the wind keeping his long brown hair in control and out of his eyes. Thunder rumbled in the distance as the storm grew more and more threatening to the ship he was riding on. Rain fell lightly as the boat rocked back and fourth through the waves sending a spray as it rose and fell sharply through the turbulent waters.  
He stood calmly watching natures wonder like a pillar, never once did he lose his balance or falter as the waves crashed into his feet on the deck. One of the crew ran up behind him stopping several times to grab for purchase against the rails along the cabins. "What are you doing fool! Get inside or you'll be washed overboard!" The man froze as he turned slowly and faced him walking calmly across the deck through the splash and spray of the sea as if it was calm and flat as glass beyond the deck.  
"As you wish good sir," he said simply as he passed.   
  
He sat calmly in his room with a bottle of water in his hand for a short time before walking back out onto he deck again. Almost immediately he ran into one of the crew; thankfully it was not the man he had met before. He stopped the man as he desperately clung to the side of the ship in an attempt to steady himself on the violently rocking vessel. Dan merely looked down at him and smiled cheerfully. He was eighteen years old, but could easily pass for sixteen from his young looks. He seemed pleasant and almost always cheerful in his mannerisms. "Excuse me, how far are we from Japan?"  
"What?!" asked the man in shock. "Are you out of your mind? Can't you see we are in the middle of a storm? Get back in your cabin!"  
"Answer my question and I will leave you alone," replied the boy calmly.  
"We're about a hundred miles off the eastern coast of Japan, I'm not sure about that though, now get back in your cabin!" screamed the man angrily.  
"I said only that I would leave you, I said nothing of going back in my room," the boy calmly stepped towards the edge of the ship with his roll of clothes slung over his shoulder and jumped into the next surge of waves to crash into the hull.  
"What the! Nooooo!" screamed the crewmember in shock as he reached for the man, before clinging desperately to the rail and quickly returning his attention to staying alive as he started crawling along the wall to report his morbid news to the captain.  
  
Two days later...  
  
A figure emerged in the sand on one of Japan's beaches. Dan smiled as he crawled onto land and staggered far enough into the crowd of swimmers and beach goers that he was certain he would be safe. Calmly he placed his soaked roll of clothing onto the sand and lay his head across it before lying down and passing out from exhaustion.  
  
Several hours later he awoke on the beach, the sun was vanishing into the horizon creating a beautiful soft light on the beach that was now populated by a large number of couples watching it sink into the ocean. He smiled to himself noticing he was only slightly burnt, his skin was tanned from his travels across America and he had a good resistance to the harsh rays. "Maybe I'll find a challenge here?" he wondered as he stood up and stretched his arms out before walking towards the city he had found himself next to.  
He began his journey again moving slowly as the sky quickly darkened behind him. He was in Japan, the land where his art had been practiced for many generations before becoming popularized in his own country.  
  
Three days later at the Tendo Dojo, Akane Tendo was going through one of her katas in the training hall, it was a weekend and Ranma had gone off to one of his various fiancée's restaurants in search of a free meal. She angrily punched and kicked at her invisible opponent growing faster and more intense with each blow as she went through the familiar forms in her mind. She slowed and finished the exercise with a carefully executed kick stopping quickly she noticed a new sound that intruded onto her meditation, a slow and steady clapping.  
She spun around expecting to find Ranma standing behind her, instead a boy of about her own age leaned against the wall smirking to himself and eyed her hungrily. She frowned at the flagrant shine of lust in his eyes and stepped back into a defensive posture. "Who are you?"  
The boy raised his eyebrow calmly and stood upright still smiling to himself as he looked her up and down. "My name is Dan."  
"Ranma isn't here," said the girl with a small amount of contempt to her voice.  
"Who is Ranma?" asked the boy never taking his eyes off her body.  
Akane stepped back as surprise clearly became visible on her face. "What do you want?" Clearly the boy was not Asian, he was much taller than she was and probably European; though the dark color of his skin could easily be misleading.   
"I came through the back door," said the boy simply as he finally raised his eyes to her face.  
She quickly moved her stance back again reverting to a more solid stance as her eyes grew wide in shock. "A dojo destroyer?!"  
"I've no interest in your sign," the boy snorted throwing his bangs back with his hand, his hair was now cut short in the back almost to the skin while his longer bangs almost covered his eyes giving him an almost mysterious air about him. He was dressed in a white dogi with a worn looking black belt that had obviously once been white tied around his waist. The uniform itself was clean and pressed, but well worn as well. "I'm only interested in your skills, a worthless chunk of wood would only be a dead weight to me."  
His hungry stare bore into Akane with the same purposeful gaze as he smiled lightly. The girl reddened in anger at his unintentional insult. "So you've come to challenge our dojo?"  
"Yes, I am Dan, of the Kirasama School of Karate. I have traveled far in search of worthy opponents. You seem good, care to test the limits of your skills?" His tone was very respectful and Akane stepped back in surprise again.  
"You've got a lot of nerve," she snapped bitterly.  
"Nerve?" the boy's face fell slightly. "Why put a sign up if you don't want challengers?" he seemed confused at her anger.  
"Even if you beat me, I won't go out with you," snapped the girl in warning. "Not that you will." She returned his gaze and smiled confidently.  
"Go out with you? You've got a serious ego problem girl," said the boy with a shrug, his eyes never moved from her as he spoke keeping the hungry almost vulgar stare on her body. He walked to the center of the hall and bowed respectfully to the shrine on the wall before turning back at her. Silently he put up his fists in a stance Akane didn't recognize, it was obviously Karate though.  
"Let's get this over with," snorted the girl as she took up her own stance.  
The boy raise his eyebrow again, it was obvious he didn't recognize her style either and he made no move to hide his surprise; in fact he seemed to intensify his stare a little.  
"Stop staring at me that way you pervert!" screamed Akane angrily as she charged him. It was obvious he was an admirer who planned to take up Kuno's challenge from a while back. Perhaps a new student at Furinkan or another weirdo who planned on trying to marry her or Ranma.  
The boy simply side stepped her rush and jammed his foot into the back of her knee sending her to her knees in an instant, his fist slammed into the side of her head throwing her roughly to the ground. Quickly she rolled away as his foot came down on the dojo floor with an audible thump as he missed her by a hair. She continued to roll growling angrily at her opponent before charging forward again in a kick aimed at his temple. Instead of blocking the strike he grabbed her leg and twisted his wrist locking her ankle up and sending waves of pain through her leg. She started to scream in pain but was cut off as his free hand slammed into her gut and then her face throwing her to the ground yet again and almost knocking her out. She barely managed to move out of the way as he attempted to strike her again and end the match.  
She jumped away and staggered for a moment trying to get her bearings back and moved backward away from him. Her vision focused yet again and she sucked in a quick breath as she saw him rushing towards her, quickly recovering she stuck her arm out to block the front kick aimed at her chest. The boy retracted his leg and jumped into the air with the other in a hooking kick as he spun around in the air and kicked her in the side of the face. Akane staggered back angry that she had fallen for the fake out as the pain exploded in her face.   
He never gave her the chance to recover from the blow, the boy seemed to explode in a fury of punches and kicks that assaulted her from every angle. She fell to the ground unable to move from the pain of her injuries. His style was brutal and painful, she had quite a few large bruises and at least one broken rib, and her arm hung limply at her side, probably dislocated. Her legs where almost useless and she could feel the inside of her knee throb in pain from the first blow he had given her. With a huge effort she rolled onto her back only to find the boy's hand coming down on her neck for the killing blow, no more than a hairs width away from her windpipe and stopped cold.  
"That was a good match, you need to control your temper more and you'll be much better than you are now." He turned away sparing her another quick glance as he walked out the front of the dojo. There was no lust in his eyes now, only the faintest hint of disappointment. "I hope to face you again when I return someday."  
Akane felt the tears well up in her eyes as she watched him leave helplessly. It was not tears of shame or even pain. It was only then that she realized that the look she had received had not been lust at all. He had been sizing her up, watching her movements, and analyzing the kata she had been performing. The boy was everything she dreamed of being, a dedicated soul who thought of the art and nothing more. Yearning only for the Zen of perfect battle. She whimpered quietly and struggled to sit up causing a new wave of pain that sent her back onto the floor of the training hall.  
  
Dan walked by the back porch of the house and smiled as he passed a young girl of about his age. She smiled at him and bowed, "Hello, are you here to see Ranma?"  
"No, your sister is in the dojo. She probably needs a doctor," replied the boy as he continued walking out the gate. Another girl ran up to him from behind and stopped cold just out of his reach. "What did you do to my sister?" she snarled angrily.  
"Go and see for yourself, I hope to challenge this hall again one day; it was an excellent fight," he continued on his way whistling a cheerful tune that Nabiki recognized as the theme to a popular anime from a few years back.  
She looked up at the wall and noticed the sign was still intact. "Akane must have won..." The illusion was quickly shattered as she walked into the dojo and saw her sister lying on the floor unconscious, she had been beaten badly.  
  
Dr. Tofu emerged from the girl's room with a tight look on his face. "This was absolutely brutal! Who could have done such a thing?"  
Ranma was sitting at the table absolutely seething with anger, his aura was clearly visible and a strange fearful passion burned in his eyes. "Is she gonna be all right doc?"  
Nabiki ignored him and turned to face Tofu. "It was a strange martial artist I've never seen before, he was a gaijin and very good."  
Tofu nodded remembering the description, he turned to Ranma and smiled. "Akane's injuries aren't serious, but they will take a little while to heal completely. You've got to keep her out of trouble for a little while Ranma."  
The boy nodded silently and continued to glare at the wall with a hatred the man had never seen in the boy before. It was obvious he was going to try and find the man who had done this.  
Soun and Genma sat near by, the elder Tendo was in tears while his friend was doing his best to comfort him.  
"Oh, Akane! My poor little girl!" sobbed the man pathetically.  
Genma pushed his glasses up on his nose and smiled. "Don't worry, Ranma will keep her safe! Besides, maybe this will push them closer together?"  
"Which reminds me...where were you while this was happening Ranma?" asked Soun with his demonic head filling the room and glaring down at the younger Saotome.  
"I uhhh..." stammered the boy pathetically.  
"I hear he was at the Ucchan again," replied Nabiki slyly.  
Ranma wisely took the opportunity to check on his fiancée. "I'm gonna go see if Akane's all right." He quickly dashed up the stairs followed by a demonic Soun.  
  
Ranma closed the door quietly behind himself and walked over to the girl as she lay sprawled out on the bed covered in bandages with a great deal of black marks on her face and arms. He couldn't see the rest of her body as sheets and her pajamas covered her.  
She turned and smiled at him lost deep in thought. "Hello Ranma."  
The boy was taken back by her quiet demeanor and stepped away from her gaze. "Why'd ya do it Akane?"  
"He challenged the dojo Ranma, it was my duty as a martial artist," she replied simply.  
"I could have handled it, you don't need to get beat up! I could have won that fight easy!" the boy turned and simply fell silent when he saw the look on her face. It was quiet and wistful not angry at all.  
"Maybe you would have won Ranma, but not easily. He's different than Mousse or Ryoga. He won't be distracted or tricked. He's a real martial artist, living for the next battle. Everything I dreamed about being when I was little..." she trailed off and seemed to be ignoring his presence.  
"What you like him or something?" Ranma blushed and got a frightened look in his eyes suddenly.  
"I don't think it would matter if I did Ranma," replied the girl simply. "Don't be angry with him, I think I needed this," she rolled onto her side and pushed her face into the pillow ignoring the small sharp pains that ran through her body. "If you're angry like this when you fight him you'll lose."  
Ranma's eyes narrowed at her and he snarled involuntarily. "I don't lose to nobody. Especially jerks like him who beat up on girls."  
Akane raised her head slightly as a twinge of anger rose up inside her, she didn't have the strength to deal with him at the moment so she simply lay back down again. "Maybe you need it too."  
Ranma looked at her oddly unsure of what to say as he turned out of the room and walked into his own to start packing his traveling bag to hunt the offender down.  
  
Dan smiled as he walked through the streets of Nerima, he hadn't had a fight that good for some time now. "Perhaps I'll find more skilled opponents in this area." He looked down as his stomach growled and frowned. Glancing around he noticed an Okonomiyaki shop and a Chinese food place that seemed to specialize in Ramen. Looking between them he decided to go for the Chinese restaurant. "I've never had non-instant Ramen before," he mused as he walked through the doorway. The three Chinese inside turned and looked at him oddly with appraising glares while the patrons ignored him completely. He looked at himself and realized that he had not yet changed out of his dogi.   
"Who are you? What do you want?" asked the boy who was washing off the tables lazily.  
"This is a restaurant isn't it?" he asked warily.  
"Of course is restaurant!" said the girl in confusion.  
"Well, I'm hungry," he replied. The old woman at the counter rolled her eyes and hobbled back into the kitchen on top of a long staff.  
"Oh, then welcome to Cat Café," said the cute waitress as she indicated a table for him. He quickly moved to the table watching the two young employees with an increasingly interested stare. "What have we here? Two skilled fighters it seems..." he smiled at the girl as his thoughts wandered while ordering his Ramen.  
  
Dan smiled as he walked out of the Cat Café a slow and easy stroll, he looked towards Mousse with the same gaze he had given Akane and then turned towards Shampoo. The Chinese boy noticed this and frowned.  
"What are you looking at?" he snarled angrily stepping between the martial artist and the door.  
"An interesting challenge, you practice martial arts?" the boy smiled cheerfully and returned his gaze at the boy once again.  
"Yea, what of it?" snarled Mousse as he shifted a quick glance towards Shampoo and noticed she had not yet noticed the confrontation.  
"What is your name?" asked Dan casually.  
"Mousse, I am the man who is to be Shampoo's groom," replied the boy nodding towards the Chinese girl.  
"She is very beautiful, the best of luck my friend," said the boy as he pat the young man on his shoulder. Mousse jumped back defensively with several weapons shooting from his sleeves. He gasped when he realized that the boy was not entangled in his web of ropes and chains. Quickly jumping on top of a near by table he frowned and glanced around the restaurant.  
Cologne and Shampoo emerged from the kitchen and watched with quizzical looks appearing on their faces. "Great Grandmother, what going on?" asked the girl.  
"It appears Mousse has been challenged," said the woman calmly as she shifted her gaze towards the ceiling and smiled. "Well, I have not seen that technique in some time."  
Shampoo frowned when she realized the boy was standing on the ceiling just over Mousse's head. Her scowl deepened when she realized he was not holding on with any part of his body. He calmly walked over a few feet and flipped back onto the floor in front of the boy performing a spinning back kick that took Mousse in the chest as he landed.  
  
"I'm pleased you have chosen to accept my challenge," he said with a deadly calm in his voice. Mousse roared in anger and threw another volley of weapons towards him. He sidestepped and rushed forward punching the boy in the neck and chest quickly sending him reeling back into the wall. Surprisingly it was undamaged.   
Mousse staggered to his feet and smiled. "Karate? An inferior art, I will defeat you!" he rushed towards him with various blades appearing from his hands as he slashed a complicated web of slices that sent the boy staggering back out of his reach. The Chinese martial artist lunged forward intending to stab him in the chest. Dan reacted quickly rolling between the boy's legs through his robes; he righted himself in an instant performing several quick jabs to the boy's back.  
Mousse's face turned into a mask of shocked pain as he was forced to drop his swords and fell to his knees. Dan quickly pivoted into a knee strike just below the boy's neck sending him sprawling to the ground. Mousse managed to stagger to his feet despite the blow and turned slowly around to face his opponent.  
"You're good," he managed after a moment of quick breaths.  
Dan smirked and raised his fists in anticipation of the next attack. Mousse responded with another volley of throwing weapons and Dan jumped into the air. The Chinese boy gasped again, as his opponent seemed to fall towards the wall and broke out into a run along the side of the restaurant wall just ahead of the wide spread of weapons that impaled the wall at his feet. Finally he jumped from the wall as he neared the boy on his right side and performed a flying sidekick that took him across the face. Mousse was sent crashing into a table and rose again with an angry snarl.   
The boy had already started his next attack, as Mousse punched his arm out in an attempt to throw even more weapons at him he quickly snagged his arm and jumped over his head twisting in midair slamming his feet into the boy's back and jerking back on his arm. Mousse felt his elbow snap apart and screamed in pain and rage as Dan finished his attack and hooked his leg around the boy's neck squeezing tightly and cutting off his breath. They remained that way for a moment until Mousse slumped down limply in his grasp. He stepped away from he boy and turned towards the exit of the restaurant. The Chinese boy staggered to his feet again glaring daggers at his back as he used his good arm to reach into his robes. Dan merely shot his leg back without looking at the boy and kicked him in the face sending him to the floor finally.   
He smiled appreciatively and bowed to him, "It was an excellent fight my friend, I look forward to another battle." He calmly turned away and tossed a small roll of money towards the old woman. "That should cover my tab and the damages, good day."  
"Tell me, where did you learn to shift your center that way?" she asked calmly.  
He turned with a friendly smile on his face and gave her another appraising look. "My grandfather taught me the basics before he died, the rest I figured out on my own."  
"An interesting technique, I have never seen it used so effectively," she said with a dangerous shine appearing in her eyes.  
"Thank you, It has it's uses," said the boy as he left the building.  
Cologne smiled to herself and pocketed the money, she turned towards where Shampoo had been and frowned. The girl was gone. "Foolish girl, I hope she doesn't do anything rash."  
  
Dan walked towards the small hotel he had been staying at since his arrival and smiled to himself. "I'm gonna have to pick up a street fight to make some more money soon." He casually strolled through Nerima with a smirk on his face as he turned into an alleyway that was a short cut to the hotel. He frowned suddenly when he heard a noise from behind him. "What do you want?" he asked calmly.  
"Why you fight Mousse?" asked the Chinese girl from the restaurant as she emerged from her hiding place behind a trashcan.  
"He was the strongest fighter in there besides that old woman, even I'm not fool enough to challenge her," he replied with a shrug.  
"Shampoo much stronger than Mousse," snapped the girl indignantly.   
"Really? I don't see it, but if you'd like to try your luck..." he stepped back and smiled at her. "Hopefully your claim is true, I haven't had a battle that good in years."  
The girl smiled and charged forward punching at him. He sidestepped easily and kicked her in the gut sending her sprawling onto the ground as she passed him with a shocked look on her face. Without a moments hesitation he performed an axe kick that slammed into the base of her neck. She bounced against the ground and jumped onto her feet in a kick that should have hit him in the face, but he simply shifted his shoulders back and dodged it while reaching out with his hand and grabbing her leg swiftly. His free hand once again jumped into action and slammed into her kneecap separating the joint. Shampoo was far from finished though; she latched onto his leg and bit him hard on his calf causing him to grunt in pain. A quick push from his knee ended that quickly as he jabbed her in the stomach and threw her away from him.   
She staggered to her feet and shifted back avoiding a kick aimed at her forehead barely in time. Unfortunately it was followed by a jab that took her across the jaw. He spun around using the momentum from the punch to spin a kick into the back of her neck that sent her headfirst into a brick wall. She rolled onto her side again only to find his fist touching her nose lightly.   
"You're not nearly as good as that boy, I suggest you train harder," replied the boy with a smirk appearing on his face.  
"You lie!" snarled Shampoo angrily. "Shampoo always beat Mousse!"  
"He must be taking it easy on you then," he replied with a shrug as he turned away and walked towards his destination again.  
He looked back one last time and saw the girl was watching him with a strange fear in her eyes. He sighed heavily, walked back to her side, and lifted her onto his shoulder.   
"What you doing?!" screamed the girl in shock.  
"Well, I can't just leave you in an alleyway like this can I? Your defenseless too anyone who happens to wander by," he said with a shrug as he started back towards the Café again.  
  
Cologne hung her head as the boy entered the doorway and put the fuming Shampoo on a chair before walking out again without a word. She was screaming a rather violent combination of Japanese and Mandarin obscenities at him with a huge blush on her face. The old woman hobbled over to her side and put her hand over her mouth.  
"Well, granddaughter it seems you have another suitor."  
Shampoo fell deathly silent and stared at her in shock, she shot a quick angry glare at the old woman and frowned. "He no defeat Ranma yet!"  
"True, but don't count on him defeating him easily. This boy is unlike anyone Ranma has faced till now," she hopped away on her staff towards the kitchen.  
"What?" said Shampoo looking confused. "Ranma defeat much stronger opponent than him!" snapped the girl bitterly.  
"True Great Granddaughter, but still..." the old woman left Shampoo to her thoughts.  
  
Ranma stalked through the streets of Nerima with a scowl on his face as his travel pack rested heavily on his shoulders. He turned a familiar corner and found himself staring at the restaurant section of his neighborhood. Snorting casually he saw that the Cat Café was closer. He walked towards the entrance and frowned as he neared it, stepping into the building and sucked in a quick breath, the place was a mess.  
He stepped back as he saw Mousse look up and push his glasses further onto his nose with a disgusted snort. "What happened here?" he noticed the boy had a sling on his shoulder and was moving sluggishly across the floor. Cologne emerged from the kitchen with Shampoo in tow, the girl looked ashamed and was using a pair of crutches.  
"Son in law, it seems we have a new adversary," said the old woman cheerfully.  
Shampoo rushed forward as fast as the injuries would allow and collapsed in his arms in tears. "Man come and defeat Shampoo! Ranma defeat him yes?"  
The boy burned with anger again as he surveyed the damage done. "Who?" it was all he could say.  
"A boy who uses an unusually effective form of Karate, a very brutal style Son in law, it would be wise to use caution," Cologne lit her pipe calmly and smiled at him. "He also has the ability to control his center, giving him more maneuverability than even you can hope to match."  
Ranma snarled as he pushed Shampoo gently away from him. "How long ago?"  
"It was no less than half an hour ago Son in law, be cautious," said the old woman calmly as she tapped Mousse slightly causing him to fall over. "Who said you could take a break, you've got to fix all the damage you caused! Don't worry about the cost, I'll take it out of your pay."  
"But, he paid for the damages!" retorted the boy in shock.  
"He paid for the damages he caused, unfortunately for you he didn't cause any." Mousse hung his head and grumbled as he started to scrub at the tables again.  
Ranma turned on his heels and dashed out the door heading towards the Ucchan with worry written across his features.  
  
Akane stood up cautiously, most of her bruises where nothing but faint marks now, but still it was painful to move around much. She was determined to continue her training though and struggled onto the floor before lifting several weights from the corner and moving them violently up and down over her head. She stopped suddenly and remembered his words. "You've got to learn to control your temper." She looked at her weights and began to move them rhythmically up and down in slow controlled motions. The pain was intense, but she had to be ready when he came back.  
  
Dan lay casually back on his bed relaxing and finding his center in a moment. His thoughts wandered as he began to meditate, into his past.  
  
"Grandfather, why do I meditate so much?" asked the boy looking up at the older man.  
"You must understand boy, to find true strength one must condition both mind and body," said the aged voice from behind him. Dan opened his eyes and saw the strong looking old man standing in front of him. The boy was seated in the lotus position and shifting uncomfortably around. He was only seven years old and had begun training his grandfather's style of Karate only the year before. Unfortunately the old man would die the following year, it would only strengthen his resolve to learn the art. The old man continued speaking only Japanese to the boy since the day he was born despite his parents request that he wait until he was older before teaching him. "You will understand one day, your greatest weapon is not your body, but your mind. It will only show you this if you train hard and push your limits."  
His mother and father were European-American, the adopted daughter of the Japanese immigrant. The boy nodded at the old man's wisdom and continued to meditate with him on the floor of his home.  
  
A few years later his parents started to get worried when he became a social recluse. He focused all of his free time on the art in memory of the old man and pushed himself beyond his limits more than one time causing many visits to hospitals. The boy had a strange violent streak in him that disrupted his performance at school, he often picked fights with much larger and older students. It was no surprise to find him home early with bruises and cuts all over him. Unfortunately, the other students were worse off than he was most of the time. He was expelled from several schools and forced into therapy by his parents.   
"Why do you fight?" asked the counselor. He was an older man with balding hair and a large gut that seemed to rest against his desk.  
"So I don't end up like you," replied the boy honestly. "I want to be the best, I must have a challenge,"   
The man was taken back by his comment and ignored it. "Why not find challenge in your school work, your grades seem fine?" the man brought fourth his best fake smile.  
"I have found perfect Zen, no one not even you can steal that away from me," said the boy simply.  
  
One year after they finally gave up on the counselor, his parents enrolled him in a martial arts class at the local Tai kwon do school. He was eleven years old at the time and hated every moment of it.  
He stood in the starched uniform uncomfortable within the confines of the class as the teachers acted like over paid cheerleaders as they poked and prodded at the overweight students.  
He felt bile rise into his throat as he waded his way through the class. "A desecration of the art," he snapped angrily. One of the black belts turned to face him. He was a man easily ten years older than himself.   
"What did you say punk?" he said in disgust glaring down at Dan.  
"I said this is a desecration of the art!" he shouted angrily at the whole room. "Look at this, my grandfather is rolling over in his grave because I'm a part of this!" he turned to face the teachers at the head of the room who were staring at him in shock. "If even one of you can show me that you have anything to teach me I'll stay!"  
One of the students in the back of the class laughed crudely at him as he turned towards the door. The black belt in question grabbed the boy by his shoulder and spun him around sending him to the ground. Without thinking about it for an instant he rolled to his feet and jumped at the man's neck sending his knee into his windpipe, and slamming him into the ground hard as he flipped over and stepped on his face spinning on the ball of his heel, tearing at the tissue beneath his skin. The man screamed in agony and passed out. The whole room stared at him in shock as he walked out the door and tore the patches indicating the school off of his uniform as he went. He never returned home.  
  
Six years had passed since that time and he had spent his life searching for a worthy opponent, he had not been defeated since that day and lived his life on the road desperately searching for a way or path to follow. Only the fight had called him, his interest never wavered, he was almost hoping to find another way of life, but it never came as the perfect feeling of battle entrapped him again and again. He rolled onto his side and stared at the wall ending his meditation. "Somehow, that's just the way I want it," he said to himself with a small smile.  
  
Ranma walked into the Ucchan and gave a relieved sigh as the girl worked quietly behind the grill. She looked up and smiled warmly at him, "Ranchan, you hungry?"  
The boy frowned suddenly growing serious. "No, I'm lookin for somebody, a martial artist guy, gaijin."  
The girl gave him a quizzical frown and sighed. "Did he kidnap Akane again?"  
Ranma grit his teeth and relaxed visibly. "No, Akane got beaten up pretty badly, he took out Mousse and Shampoo too."  
Ukyo looked up in surprise. "Both of them?"  
"Yea, pretty easily too from what I heard," the boy sat at the counter with a slight sag in his step. "I'm gonna teach the guy a lesson."  
Ukyo snorted lazily, "You came here cause you where worried about me?"  
"Yea," replied the boy simply without thinking.  
Ukyo smiled to herself and flipped an Okonomiyaki over sending it onto a plate and in front of her fiancée with one swift motion. "I'm glad."  
Ranma just looked at her and frowned. "Uhh, that's not exactly what I meant..."   
"Ranma! How dare you let somebody do that to Akane!" screamed a familiar voice as the wall of the small shop crashed in, Konatsu was sent flying across the room into one of the tables.  
"Hey you jackass!" screamed Ukyo angrily as she pulled out her battle spatula.  
"Uhh, hello Ryoga," said Ranma sheepishly as he backed away from the angry martial artist.  
"Don't "hello" me, for what you've done to Akane; I will kill you Saotome!" Ryoga charged forward slamming into the grill just as his target vanished a large metal object he hadn't noticed before promptly flattened him. He looked up and frowned as he pulled the bent metal off of his face. "Why did you do that?" he asked calmly looking up at Ukyo's snarl.  
"Why? Look what you did to my restaurant!" snapped the girl as she grabbed him by his collar and forced him to look at the damage.  
"Oh, sorry; I'd stay and help clean up but I've got to go kill Ranma right now," he glanced around and noticed his intended target was gone. "See ya," Ryoga started for the door and stopped as several spatulas embedded themselves in the floor at his feet.  
"Oh, no you don't," said the girl with an evil looking smile on her face.  
  
Dan closed the door to his room and frowned as he turned to see someone standing at the end of the hallway glaring at him. "Who are you?" he asked looking the boy up and down.  
"I have heard tales of a Gaijin who fights any who will put up a battle," said the boy calmly as he stepped into the light.  
"Yea, so?" said the boy in reply as he assessed his new opponent.  
"Are you this man?" snapped the intruder.  
"Maybe, why do you want to know?" asked Dan with a small smirk appearing on his face.  
"I the mighty Blue Thunder of Furinkan High School shall punish you for the injury of Akane Tendo!" roared the boy as he charged. Dan gasped as he heard the sound of metal sliding out of a scabbard as he jumped up and landed on the ceiling as the boy's slash cut into his door halving it easily. The sword once again rested in its place at his side as he had swiftly returned the blade to its place after the strike.  
"A Japanese swordsman? Never fought one of you before, should be interesting," he jumped back down to the floor just behind the boy and smiled. "This girl you speak of, is she a martial artist as well? Perhaps at a dojo in the area?"  
"The same," replied Kuno as he turned slowly with an angry look still embedded into his features.  
"I recall a battle with such a girl, she was very skilled. Perhaps she will better herself now that she has known a real defeat," he lifted his hands and smiled. "Perhaps you can learn this lesson as well?"  
"I have no need of lessons from the likes of you!" snarled the Kendoist as he charged again. Dan ducked under the slash and sent his knee into the boy's belly as he passed by sending him to his knees.  
"You're very skilled, but not much of a fighter I'm afraid. You have excellent form, but your swordsmanship is poor, good only for contests and shows," the boy glared at Kuno as he slowly rose to his feet and raised the blade vertically beside his face in a standing stance.  
"I will show you the true power of the Blue Thunder, have at thee!" he charged again with his strikes blurring at an unbelievable rate producing the effect of several blades.  
Dan merely smirked and jumped into the air over the boy's strikes shifting his weight in midair into a kick that hit his opponent on the back of the neck. Kuno grunted but managed to perform a back slash that barely missed.  
Dan frowned slightly as several pieces of hair floated down in front of his face. He snapped a kick upwards taking the boy in the crotch causing him to drop the weapon in shocked pain. Kuno fell to his knees again clutching himself and coughing violently.  
"A cowardly attack, you dishonor..." Dan punched him in the face sending him sprawling across the floor on his back in a daze, the boy was clearly angry at his words. "You would strike such a flower of beauty? I spit upon such a man, you have no honor," stuttered the boy as he rose to his elbows and stared at the martial artist who was standing over him.  
"Not even a flower more skilled than you boy? I have known many great fighters in my time, and no weapon is greater than beauty. It was an honorable battle." Dan smiled at his downed opponent and tensed his body up for the final blow.  
"Lies! Akane Tendo is a flower who must be protected by myself! I shall not allow this slight on her honor! Thus I will defeat you and regain her heart! You are a dishonorable warrior who uses tricks and sorcery to win your battles!" Kuno managed to get to his knees despite the intense pain in his crotch.  
"Who are you to speak of dishonorable? You attack an unarmed opponent with a sword! Where do you think you are little boy? This is a street fight, honor and pageantry have no place here, anything goes." Kuno snarled as the man kicked his sword onto the parking lot's gravel surface. "You're not even worth my time boy."  
"Insolent cur! I will smite you for this dishonor!" roared the kendoist as his opponent walked away ignoring him. He had not even taken the time to finish the battle; the boy merely walked on silently not caring about the fool behind him. He had placed a bigger blow on Kuno's pride by just walking away than he ever could have by beating him.  
  
Akane frowned as she pushed herself up again from the floor, a rack of weights was straddled across her shoulders and her injuries were much better than before. She gasped in strain as she finally let herself fall to the floor with the weight pushing her chest against the carpet. She rolled onto her side pushing the metal bar off of her and lay there staring at the ceiling. After a moment she put her hand in front of her face opening and closing it a few times before finally making a fist. She was covered in sweat and breathing heavily, strangely she had never felt better in her life, despite the injuries. Somehow she knew he would return to face her again, it was just a matter of how long it would be. "I will be ready!" she whispered to herself as she brought the fist down on her chest gently.  
  
Ryoga Hibiki frowned as he walked through the streets of Nerima that evening. Konji had forced him to work off the damages he had caused in her restaurant. He snorted angrily as the memory of her attempt to make him wash the dishes. According to her, he still owed her another two thousand hours of work to cover it all. "Maybe I should avoid that place for a while," he muttered under his breath as he walked.   
Several hours later the sun began to rise over Nerima Ryoga smiled to himself, he had camped out in a park that night and gotten an early start. He was planning to hunt down the boy who had hurt Akane and make him pay, but unfortunately he hadn't been able to locate him. He shifted his direction again and looked up to see where he was. The lost boy sucked in a quick breath at what he saw, not twenty feet in front of him was a tanned looking gaijin in a dirty white dogi. "That's him!" he cried triumphantly as he recognized his prey. The boy was about to cross the street with what appeared to be a bag of groceries. "Hey! You! I'll kill you!" roared the Ryoga as he rushed forward towards his opponent. A large gray piece of metal blocked his vision and he fell back on his back as he rushed into it with an audible clang. Ukyo appeared over him and looked down smiling to herself as he lay there looking confused.  
"Well, you actually managed to find your way here! Come on, only two thousand more hours to go!" she grabbed him by the back of the collar and started to drag him into the Ucchan.   
"Wait! I have too," he glanced around at the street and saw the boy had vanished. "Oh well." He gave up and resigned himself to his fate. "I don't do dishes."  
"Well you broke enough last time, it would have only taken you around eighteen hundred hours before that mess," said the girl grumpily. "You'll wash tables with Konatsu today."  
"That's even worse!" screamed the boy with a fearful look on his face.  
"Jeez, you'd think you where afraid of water or something," muttered Ukyo with a sour look on her face as she threw him onto the floor and tossed him a rag.  
  
Ranma staggered into the Tendo home and dropped his bag and his shoes off at the doorway. "I'm home," muttered the pigtailed youth as he passed Kasumi in the hallway on his way to report to the two men.  
"What did you find?" asked Soun cheerfully.  
"Nothing, he's vanished," replied Ranma as he sat at the table looking dejected.  
"Are you sure?" asked Genma warily.  
"I couldn't find him all right?" snapped the boy angrily as he grabbed the elder Saotome by his collar.  
"He'll be back," said Akane calmly from her place at the table. She was no longer wearing any bandages and all signs of her bruises were gone.   
"What makes you say that?" asked Soun with a concerned look on his face, knowing his daughter she might have offered him her hand if he won. All things considered it would be up to Ranma to free her again.  
"He said he wanted to fight me again, he said I was good. This isn't the kind of man to say it for no reason." The girl looked at her fiancée and frowned at the angry look he was giving her. "It's just a matter of how long I have to wait for him."  
  
That evening Ryoga staggered out of the Ucchan with an angry scowl on his face. "She didn't have to laugh so hard," he mumbled as he walked out. Ukyo had promised him drier work tomorrow, if he made it at all that is. He stopped as someone caught his eye from across the street; a boy dressed in a martial arts dogi stood staring at him hungrily.  
Ryoga stepped back and growled at him, "You! You're the one who attacked Akane!"  
Dan frowned and remembered the girl again. "She must be someone really special to have all of these people defending her," he commented dryly as he pushed himself off of the lamppost he had been leaning on. "I don't see what everyone is so upset about, she did consent to the match after all."  
"Consent?" Ryoga got a confused look on his face as he stepped back and glared at him.  
"Yes, I challenged her dojo and she accepted," replied the boy calmly.  
"So, you like to pick fights with people weaker than you?!" snarled the boy as he clenched his fists in anger.  
"I have only one wish, to fight strong opponents to further my own skills. Akane Tendo was a good opponent, as I'm sure you will be as well!"   
"I am Ryoga Hibiki, I shall avenge Akane Tendo's honor!" cried the boy as he stepped forward in a ready stance.  
"Hibiki? I've heard that name around during a few fights. You fight locally around the island don't you?"   
"Yea, what of it?" asked Ryoga with a frown.  
"Let's make this fight interesting," said Dan as he tossed a roll of money onto the sidewalk.  
Ryoga frowned and pulled a roll from his pocket of about the same size. "This is a battle of honor," he said returning it to its place after a moment's thought.  
"As you wish," replied Dan as he retrieved his own wad of cash.  
The pair charged each other screaming their respective battle cries as they slammed into one another, Ryoga punched out and growled as Dan ducked under the blow and put several lightening quick jabs into the lost boy's stomach.  
The pair turned slowly to face one another and Dan frowned as he noticed Ryoga looked like he hadn't even noticed the strikes. "What the? Those strikes were at several nerve centers! It should have put him on his knees! He must have some way to deaden his nerves."  
Ryoga was giving his own analysis of the situation. "He's fast, but not as fast as Ranma, I can hit this guy; but he's stronger than Ranma and accurate too. That hit would have taken me out if it weren't for the Bakusai Tenketsu, he knows just where to hit me!"  
Dan noticed the boy rubbing at his belly for a moment before focusing on his opponent again. "So, he felt it after all, just not too much. I'm gonna have to disable this guy pretty fast somehow!" The pair rushed forward again and Ryoga jumped into the air, Dan smiled and jumped directly up into his chest touching his stomach for a moment before falling back down. Ryoga's eyes widened in shock as he felt nothing more than a touch. He landed on the ground opposite the boy and hunched down to a low crouch with a look of surprise on his face.  
"What the?" gasped the lost boy as he grit his teeth and stood tall.  
"So, I was right, you are pretty strong. I think you'll find it a bit harder to move around now since your center has been disrupted. You're feeling about four times the earth's gravity right now," Dan smiled as he rushed forward and planted his fist into the boy's chest taking out a bundle of nerves in its center. Ryoga screamed in pain as his arms moved up to slowly to block the strike. He managed to stay standing and grit his teeth as he pulled out all his strength into a jumping sidekick that was easily avoided by his opponent. The blow created a large crater as he landed and Dan smirked as he spun around and kicked Ryoga in his shoulder. The lost boy screamed in pain as the limb fell limply at his side. Dan was far from finished however, he jumped forward after skipping back to avoid a slow punch and kicked him in several different places in his leg, causing the boy to lose his use of that leg as well sending him to the ground. Finally, the confident martial artist placed a kick in his face expecting him to pass out. The boy managed to stay conscious and grinned at his opponent. "Its gonna take more strength than you've got to take me out!"  
Dan looked at him in shocked surprise as he staggered to his feet again raising his fists up for battle again. "He's got his arms and legs back already?" he snarled at Ryoga and rushed forward. "You don't need strength to win a battle if you know where to hit someone!" His arms became a blur of motion and slammed into Ryoga's upper body and head in several places. The lost boy staggered back as his vision blurred as he struggled to stay awake. Dan frowned as he realized that his center was still disrupted. With a wry smile appearing on his face he placed his finger on the boy's forehead sending him to the ground on his back. Ryoga growled at him again and watched helplessly as the boy closed in on him.  
"I won't be defeated so easily! Eat this Shi shi houkou dan!" a blue ball of light formed in the boy's hands as he pointed them towards Dan.   
"What the hell is that?" screamed the boy as he jumped up to avoid the blast. The Shi shi houkou dan blasted from Ryoga's palms and shot about two feet into the air before it collapsed under the super gravity that disrupted Ryoga's chi field. A small shockwave of energy blasted out twenty feet in every direction no more than two feet high. Cars where blasted into walls and various brick surfaces were blackened by the intense energy.  
Dan frowned as he looked on in shock at the attack from his place just below the top of a light pole. Ryoga Hibiki finally passed out in the center of the street and he jumped down next to him placing his hand on the boy's chest to realign his center. He smiled to himself as he lifted the boy onto his shoulders and walked over to a nearby bench to place him down. "Man, this place is great! This just keeps getting better and better!" He walked away whistling a tune to himself as Ryoga rested on the bench.  
The next morning Ryoga woke up with something covering his face, it was cold and remarkably hard. His head was splitting from all the ki he had used last night and something was making his ears ring. He lifted whatever it was on his face up and the screaming voice finally became clear. "Ryoga you jack ass! Wake up! You still owe me a lot of work!"  
"How the?" he looked up and found he was lying on a bench just a few buildings away from the Ucchan. Ukyo snarled as she grabbed him by his collar and dragged him along behind her as he looked at her in confusion.  
  
Ryoga Hibiki sat with Ranma on the roof of the Tendo home, he was slightly bruised and a small mark was visible on the corner of his mouth. The pigtailed youth noted that he was the least injured of the boy's challengers. "He's dangerous Ranma, you might not be able to win this one."  
"What are you talking about P-chan? I always win," replied the boy with a confident smile.  
"All joking aside Saotome, he isn't like anyone we've faced before, I doubt you'll be able to goad him into a mistake. This power he has makes him even worse, he knows where to hit you Ranma, one hit from this guy could end the fight. You can't even let him touch you," Ryoga growled as a strange determination burned in his eyes.  
"I don't get it, I mean he can't be worse than Taro or Herb," Ranma shrugged his shoulders and leaned back against the roof tiles.  
"The way he moves in the air is unnatural Ranma, he can out maneuver you easily," Ryoga shook his head as he tried to clear the memory from his mind.  
"That is because he as complete control of his center, it makes him a most dangerous adversary," said a new voice from behind them.  
"Old ghoul!" cried Ranma in shock.  
"Hello Son in law. I understand you wish to challenge this boy?" she had a strange smile on her face that both boys didn't like.  
"Yea, but I can't seem to find him," said the pigtailed boy bitterly.  
"Don't worry about that, Son in law. It's the battle itself you must be cautious of. This boy lives only for the art; he wants nothing but the feeling of perfect battle. He will not be distracted or tricked, when you face him it will be wise for you to remember this," she narrowed her eyes at him and he shrank back slightly.  
"I can take him easy, this guy has nothin on Taro or Herb!" he stared her down indignantly.  
"If you think that way you will lose Son in Law, they all wanted something or had some weakness you could exploit easily. This fight is not like that, he will not be distracted, and he will not stop until you are defeated," the old woman hopped on to the very top of the roof. "Good luck boy, you'll need it."  
"I don't need luck," growled Ranma bitterly as he watched her vanish into Nerima.  
Ryoga watched the exchange silently and frowned. "Ranma is really angry. I hope he doesn't take this too far." A fresh memory of the Mountaintops on Jusendo flickered in his mind and the lost boy shuddered.  
  
Dan walked through Nerima and frowned slightly, he had been here to long. "It's time to leave, I don't think I'll find much more here." He shifted his roll of clothes on his back and started walking towards the west. The Tendo dojo appeared on his right and he smiled a little at the memory of the place. "So many people protected you, must be something really special about her." He turned and started walking again only to stop as a figure appeared in front of him in the road. It was the girl again; she stood glaring at him with a hard determination in her eyes. She lifted her fists up and stood directly in his path.  
"No. You're not ready," he replied simply. "You don't really think you can beat me after only a week of training do you?"  
"I'm willing to try," said Akane simply, she stood and a strong gust of wind blew by her blowing autumn leaves through the air dramatically around her as her hair and her dogi shifted in the wind.  
"You've got a good spirit girl, and many friends; you wouldn't believe the amount of trouble I went through just for our little match," he smiled at her and walked up directly in front of her fearlessly.  
Akane raised her eyebrow at the statement and relaxed her stance. "Are you leaving?"  
"Yes, I don't think I can learn anything more from this area, I'll come back through in a year or so and see if you and your friends have improved any," he smiled and stepped by her quietly moving down the street lazily.  
Akane smiled as she watched him walk slowly away, a small tear formed in her eye and she laughed despite herself. "Goodbye, and thank you," she whispered as she walked through the gates of the Tendo dojo. For the first time in her life someone had treated her as their equal in the art.  
  
Ranma stood above on the dojo wall and watched the exchange with a confused stare, "What just happened?" he muttered to himself.  
"Akane finally got the respect she deserves from somebody," said Soun Tendo from his place in the yard. He was standing just below Ranma looking up at him with a strange smile on his face. "It's easy to forget that Akane is a martial artist as well Ranma, she has her own passion for the art. Not even you can protect her from that," he turned around and walked back towards the porch to continue his game of Shogi. The pigtailed youth jumped down from his place on the wall and started to jog after Dan with a strangely calm look on his face.  
  
Dan turned and smiled as the boy jumped down behind him in the road. He tossed his belongings to the side of the street and smiled giving Ranma a familiar hungry stare. "Hello."  
Ranma said nothing and stood returning the gaze at the boy. Finally after a long moment he spoke. "I am Ranma Saotome of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts! I challenge you!"  
He could tell that formality was a rare thing with this boy and he smiled slightly. "I am Dan, of the Kirasama School of Karate. I accept your challenge." He got into a basic stance and smiled as he prepared himself for Ranma's attack.  
  
The boy charged in with a battle cry as he rushed forward and punched out at Dan at an unbelievable speed. The boy was forced back as he returned a quick punch at his midsection that was blocked easily. Dan smirked as he spun around and kicked at Ranma's head forcing him to block yet again. The pair exchanged blows at an amazing rate with Ranma often tagging the boy with a few punches while blocking strikes at the same time.  
Dan staggered back and frowned as he realized that the boy was to fast for him to take on the way he was trying. He jumped into the air and flew over Ranma's head spinning in midair and turning into a flying sidekick that took the pigtailed youth across the back. Ranma staggered forward and spun into a back kick that knocked his opponent back but did no real damage. He rushed forward again realizing that he had the clear advantage in the battle punching out hundreds of times in the space of a second.  
Dan's eyes narrows suddenly and his fist shot out, he smiled at Ranma as he grabbed his wrist in a locking hold and bent the joint back sending the boy to his knees in pain. "Your attack is fast Ranma, but it follows a pattern."  
Ranma glared up at him as he felt the bones snap inside of his wrist sending waves of pain through his body as they boy's crushing grip severed the joint in two cleanly. Ranma screamed in rage and stood up again punching out with his free arm. He was shoved back as Dan kicked him in the chest three times sending him sprawling across the pavement as the areas exploded in pain. Ranma staggered to his feet and rolled away as his opponent slammed into the pavement cracking the asphalt.   
The pigtailed martial artist was forced on the defensive as the boy charged him and forced him back. He was able to keep up with Dan's attacks with only one arm, but barely so. Finally Ranma turned to face the boy with an evil looking smirk on his face.  
"I have you! Hiryu Shouten Ha!" Dan gasped as a blast of cold ki struck him dead in the chest throwing him into the air violently as the tornado formed around them in an instant. He growled and shifted his center suddenly as Ranma smirked triumphantly from his place in the center of the blast.  
The pigtailed boy's smile was short lived as Dan instantly righted himself no more than ten feet in front of him falling fist first through the center of the blast and slamming into the ground forcing Ranma to jump into the winds created by the blast. He was thrown violently into the air and sailed out of the twister thirty feet over the street landing on the pavement on his bad wrist. He screamed in pain as Dan emerged from the blast unscathed. Ranma frowned when he noticed that the boy seemed to be crouching and was having a little trouble lifting his feet up to walk. Once out of the attack he righted himself and dusted off his Dogi.  
  
Shampoo and Cologne looked up at one another as the distinctive sound of the Hiryu Shouten Ha floated towards them from nearby.  
Mousse appeared in the room and smiled to himself. "Let's go you two," said the old woman calmly.  
"Aiya! Ranma just defeat bad Martial artist man! Shampoo know it!" squealed the girl happily.  
  
Ranma staggered back from another kick aimed at his arm and grunted in pain as it connected sending new waves of pain down his spine. "Eat this!" screamed the boy as he punched out again.  
Dan frowned, as a blade of air seemed to shred at his clothing as he dodged the impossibly fast strikes. Suddenly he felt very glad that he had taken this boy's arm out early.  
Ranma was growing tired fast, while he still had quite a bit of energy left the boy was showing no signs of tiring any time soon. "I've got to think of something!" his mind screamed. His fist blasted by the boy and he noticed a strange smile cover his face as he jumped up and didn't come back down again. Ranma frowned when he noticed the air blade slam into a fire hydrant. "Damn."  
  
Dan smiled as he stood on the bottom of the lamppost, he watched calmly as Ranma was blasted in the chest by the pressurized water. The boy was thrown back into the wall and slumped down for a moment before standing up again.  
"I'm impressed, this is by far the best battle I've ever had," said Dan calmly. He was bruised and battered, but hardly in as bad a condition as Ranma was.  
He was slammed in the chest by a young red haired girl in the boy's clothes and sent sprawling across the street. Dan's eyes went wide as she stood over him kicking him in the chest and sending him back down as he tried to stand again. She kicked the ground only to find he had somehow jumped up from the ground without using his arms and legs flipping over her head and landing in a defensive posture.  
"Ranma Saotome I presume?" the girl was holding her wrist against her side and the battle scars were still present. "That's an interesting trick." He charged forward and attacked her only to find all of his strikes were deflected or dodged easily.  
Ranma frowned as she realized that she was much faster as a girl and could keep up with him despite her injuries. She kicked out and caught the boy in his face, his hand shot out despite the blow and grabbed at her chest.  
"Hey Pervert!" screamed Ranma as the boy was sent flying away only to land in a wall and slump to the ground. The pigtailed girl frowned when she realized that he was smiling at her with a strange look in his eyes. She stepped towards him and lurched as some unseen force forced her into a crouch. "This is how he beat Ryoga!" screamed her mind as the boy walked towards her with a smirk on his face. She looked at the ground and tried desperately to think of a plan. She could stand all right, but there was no way she could move fast enough to beat him like she was now.  
Dan rushed forward and slammed his fist into her gut sending her to the ground; the girl frowned and closed her eyes as he jumped down towards her for the final blow.  
"Moukou Takabishi!" screamed the fallen Ranma as a ball of yellow energy blasted upwards slamming into the martial artist chest sending him into the air with a shocked expression on his face. Her Ki shuddered in the air for a moment before slamming back down on the ground around her. Ranma sighed and lay on the ground for a moment as the light faded away around her. She tried to open her right eye and found it shut completely closed. Slowly she staggered to her feet and looked around at where she was, whatever he had done to her had worn off after he was blasted away.  
Dan was slumped face down on a pile of garbage bags out cold. "I won," she muttered to herself as she fell to her knees in exhaustion.  
  
"Well, it seems Shampoo doesn't have to marry that boy after all. Good job Son in law," the old woman appeared next to her and she looked over numbly as the three Chinese martial artist walked towards him.  
Dan opened his eyes slowly and groaned as he stood up during the exchange. He looked over at Ranma and smiled. "Well, it seems I've been defeated," he extended his hand to her and she accepted it quietly. "I look forward to a rematch."   
"I'll be ready," replied the girl with a small frown.   
"Good, when I return I'll be sure to look you up," said Dan as he walked over and retrieved his belongings.  
Cologne smiled at him and glanced him up and down. "Where will you go now?"  
Dan looked at her in surprise; "I was on my way to China for some more training when I got distracted here in Nerima."  
Ranma froze suddenly and smiled. "Good luck, it's a dangerous place."  
"I hope so," said Dan cheerfully as he rubbed the side of his face absently. "Otherwise it won't do me any good to go."  
Cologne hopped forward and handed him a small piece of paper. "Here, go to the village marked on the map and tell them I sent you. Ask for a girl named Lo shiun. You could learn a lot there."  
"Thanks, I'll do that," said Dan with a small smirk appearing on his face.  
Ranma was about to speak, but Cologne poked her in the back silencing the girl as she passed out on the ground again. Dan looked at the exchange quizzically and said nothing. "Well, I'm off, I'll remember this place. Perhaps I'll see you again one day." The boy bowed politely and turned away from the group of Amazons; all of them had large grins on their faces. They watched him vanish into the horizon and turned back towards the restaurant.  
"Perhaps sooner than you think," replied Cologne cheerfully as he walked off with a slight limp in his step.  
"Great Grandmother, you think cousin will like?" asked Shampoo calmly.  
"I kind of feel sorry for him, Lo shiun has a worse temper than that Tendo girl," quipped Mousse with a sigh.  
"I'm sure they'll get along fine," said the elder with a small chuckle; the group turned back towards the Cat Café and walked into Nerima as the sun set in the distance.  
  
THE END...  
  
  
Well, that's the end of that. Sorry if I disappointed anyone with the ending, but Ranma had to win or Shampoo would have had to chase after him. I didn't want to really change anything in the Ranmaverse with this. It was just fun to do, I should also note that some things in this story point to it being after vol.38 of the Manga.   
And yes Ryoga was still IC despite the fact that he's given up on Akane, that doesn't mean he doesn't still care enough to beat up Ranma for letting something like that happen in the first place. You'll also notice them getting along pretty well in the rooftop scene.  
  
  
  



End file.
